Imbedded in Senator Feingold's commentary on the energy bill was this statement:
"...one thing that happened to the bill in the conference committee was particularly startling to me today. A provision was tucked into the 1,700 page energy bill conference report..."
There is something terribly wrong when we expect our elected officials to be able to read through 1700 pages of fine print (some of which is stuck in at the last instant)with hundredes of sections and sub-sections (some of which have NOTHING to do with the legislation's focus) and be able to vote in good conscience for OR against the bill. And consider they have several such bills on their plates at any given moment.
And then there's the matter of timing. I remember calling my Rep the day before the bankruptcy bill came up for a vote. When I asked the aide how my rep planned to vote on it, the aide said, "He hasn't seen it yet."
This is not a democracy. Can anything be done?